Ready for yet another boring school year? Okay, school doesn’t have to be boring, what with new friends, old friends, being away from home and learning loads of new things. But after the novelty wears off, and winter sets in, you may find that things are not as interesting as they were just a few months ago.

Not this year! This year, your college dorm room will provide all the entertainment you need, and might even lure in your friends, if they’re geeky enough. Don’t worry, you’re not going to have to spend a fortune on this. The most expensive item you’ll find below will cost you $25, and the rest are even less, so getting some fun knick knacks for your room this year should definitely stay affordable. Unless, like me, you’re having a hard time choosing just one. Good luck!

This one is a multi-purpose item, both for your room and for carrying around wherever you go. You know how whiteboards are really useful, but are way too big to keep in your room? Have you ever had a brainstorming session with friends using a whiteboard, and had to leave it all behind since the whiteboard is nailed to the wall? No more!

The Noteboard foldable whiteboard is every bit like a whiteboard, and comes with a dry-erase pen and a bag/eraser, but after using it for what it’s meant for, you can fold it up and take it with you to your friend’s room, to class, or even to use outdoors. It’s available from many vendors, but the best price I found was on ThinkGeek, which sells it for $9.99. It’s not going to break your pocket, and it’s definitely going to spruce up your studying and merriment.

Do you often eat in your room, or maybe even at your desk? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Ugly salt and pepper shakers are an eye sore, and they’re also liable to fall, break, disappear, and spill. Besides, they’re just boring. The Switch Salt & Pepper shaker solves your spice problems! One tub holds both salt and pepper, and you get to use the switch on top to switch between them. It’s the closest way I know to gadgetizing your food, and I’m seriously considering getting one for myself.

Bonus: if you have patience and don’t mind waiting until November for your spice satisfaction, you might be interested in these Batman and Catwoman salt and pepper shakers. They’re not as efficient, but they’re petty irresistible.

There are Zen MagnetsReview and Giveaway: Zen MagnetsReview and Giveaway: Zen MagnetsRead More, and there’s silly putty. And then, there’s magnetic silly putty. The Smart Mass Thinking Putty is every geek’s dream come true, and is a great desk accessory for when you need to fidget with something while working or thinking. But it’s much more than just something to fidget with — this putty comes in several different varieties, some magnetic, some color-changing, some glow in the dark, and can stretch, drip, tear, and even shatter. It’s magical.

Not only will this putty keep you busy and entertained, it’s bound to become the center of attention every time you have guests.

I’m almost tempted to just place this here, without explaining further, but since this isn’t Pinterest, I’ll state the obvious: you need this. Why? Because it turns paper airplanes into real planes. Well, almost real planes. Have you ever tried flying a paper airplane only to be disappointed by it’s measly range? This little gadget clips on to paper airplanes, and after charging the propeller, makes them fly around you in circles for at least several minutes.

You may be wondering why I’m recommending this as something to spruce up your room. According to product reviews I’ve read, some planes you make will have a hard time flying outside (depends on the material you use and the amount of wind), but indoors? No problem. Get ready for some serious time wasting.

Gadgets that go beep beep are great, but when you’re spending entire days in front of a screen, you may want your break to be as “gadget-less” as possible. The Addictaball is like playing Temple Run on your phone, but with a tiny ball instead of Guy Dangerous, colorful plastic lanes instead of a temple, and a big transparent ball instead of your phone. The object of the game is to get a little ball through a maze that has 138 checkpoints for the big version and 100 checkpoints for the small version. To me, that sounds like hours of frustrating fun.

So we’ve established that your fun gadgets shouldn’t go beep-beep, but it doesn’t mean your piggy bank shouldn’t. I admit, this is bordering on the tacky, but it combines geekiness with money-saving so well, I couldn’t resist. This space invader box is pretty awesome all by itself (you have to admit), but every time you put money in it, it plays space invaders sounds! If that’s not a good incentive to save money, I don’t know what is.

Despite the technological age we live it, post-its remain surprisingly useful. Sometimes there’s no better way to get a message across than scribble it on a piece of paper and stick it on the fridge. There are two downsides to this, though: it’s not very eco-friendly if used often, and it’s not very personal. And sometimes you need to be personal, such as when you’ve stolen your roommate’s lunch and you need to grovel.

The Hi! Magnetic Voice Recorder is an electronic post-it of sorts, on which you can record 10-second messages and stick them on the fridge. It’s reusable, personal, and pretty darn cool. I only wish it had a way of showing when there’s a new message recorded, but you can always decide that if it’s stuck on the fridge, there’s something to listen to. It’s also great for quick, short reminders to yourself.

Saving the best for last, this one is for true, hard core geeks. Those who dream of a clock only they can read. The binary clock can display the time using the “powers of two” binary system, or true binary code. Each two columns represent the hours, minutes or seconds, and you can choose between a white with blue LEDs clock and a black and red LEDs clock. While anyone can learn how to read these clocks, most people won’t bother to, leaving you the only one around who can. And with their looks, they’re a pretty nifty addition to your desk.